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Friday, February 16, 2018

IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: L.D. Beyer

A Media Thriller

Date Published: Septmber 1, 2015

One man holds the reins of power.
One man vows to protect him.
One man vows to destroy him...

Caught
in a game of chess he didn’t know he was playing until it was too late, the
President makes the only move he can, plunging Washington and the nation into
chaos. Stunned and reeling, Vice President David Kendall takes the oath of
office and tries to heal a nation in mourning. But what the new president
doesn’t realize is that things in the White House aren’t always what they
appear to be, and sometimes what looks like the best option may turn out to be
the worst. When one fatal decision triggers consequences he never envisioned,
President Kendall finds himself caught up in the same game that cost his
predecessor his life.

Although
there was nothing he could have done, Secret Service Agent Matthew Richter is
haunted by the death of the man he had vowed to protect. When his girlfriend
dumps him and his boss tells him that his job is on the line, he thinks his
life cannot get any worse. He soon realizes how wrong he is when he finds
himself fighting to save another president from the deadly forces that he has
unwittingly unleashed.

REVIEW

All Out Blitz of a Political
Thriller

President David Kendall is in an
unenviable position. Eight weeks since President Walter’s suicide, Kendall was
forced to take the helm. Now he struggles to enlist key players to unify the
administration that is dropping out. Their resignations will do nothing to help
coalesce the nation still healing from the tragedy of Walter’s untimely death.
Kendall seeks out counsel to help bridge the political divide and soon finds
reason to suspect betrayal and treachery amongst the upper tiers of power.
Little does he know that the group may have had a hand in Walter’s decision,
and that they may have already targeted their next victim.

IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING by L.D. Beyer is a taut thriller that fleshes out
everyone’s worst political nightmare. The character of President Kendall is the
man in charge and the one who must discern friend from foe and weed through the
land mines set to go off. Luckily, author L.D. Beyer has provided him with Matt
Richter for protection. Matt Richter is as solid a character as I’ve read
lately. His backstory of being the secret service agent closest to Walter when
he committed suicide is the stuff that anyone could relate to. And it’s the
guilt associated with not being able to prevent the tragedy that eats Richter alive
and produces the nightmares he experiences at night.

I loved both these leads and was deeply
vested in what happened to them. The plot that allowed them to live, breath,
and act out was deftly handled and provided them the space to make this novel
come to life. I was rooting for both all the way through this story, and
doubted they’d make it through to the end.

In terms of negatives, the pacing at the
beginning of this novel was a little wonky. The paragraphs were off in terms of
what they included and size, and it did throw me off. But once that incendiary
moment happens, there’s no more diddling about. It’s pure adrenaline-rush
entertainment that makes it #unputdownable.

I especially loved, loved, loved the way
Beyer handled the technical aspects of this thriller. They were crucial to
making this believable and pulling the concept seem more than real. Because of
this, final score is a 4.6.